A "field" trip to the slums

Because I am collecting information on the nutrition/food situation in the urban slums of Jakarta, the nutrition director thought it would be helpful for me to pay a visit for some context. So this morning, I set out with two national staff and our driver for the tour de slums.

Jakarta is divided into a complex system of local governments within neighborhoods. Today was the monthly weighing and the bi-annual dosing of vitamin A of children. We stopped by several centers where this was happening and also visited several Mercy Corps programs where they have helped the communities implement improved hygiene systems like handwashing stations and community latrines and beautification projects. We also visited a composting project that has an income generation component.

While touring the neighborhoods, we ducked down the pathways between buildings where families live in one-room apartments. Cooking facilities that do exit are located outside the room, and there are no toilets or running water. Skirting buildings and pathways is the gutter, where many people relieve themselves and which is absolutely fetid with stagnant water and filth. It was a really amazing experience to see what is a completely normal existence for such a large portion of the world but is unknown to the rest of us.

What I was supposed be taking special note of are the street vendors. The word for them translates into "five legs" because the cart has three legs and the vendor has two. They all sell relatively the same thing and not much of it is healthy. The community and Mercy Corps are concerned with the amount of snacking children do. They don't eat regularly meals but buy snacks from the vendors: fried noodles, chips, candy, soda, ices, sweets etc. The regular consumption of these foods, in place of nutrient dense meals, is said to be causing stunting and micronutrient deficiences in children and obesity is a concern too. One idea is to initiate dialogue with the vendors to find options for selling healthy snacks and then have carts labeled as a "healthy snack" cart. A complex situation which hopefully will have an effective solution.